Have a headache that just keeps coming back? Pain in your leg that no amount of stretching/foam rolling seems to help? Suffer from chronic pain but can’t pinpoint it down to a trauma/injury?
Chances are you might be suffering from referred pain. Referred pain put simply is when the site of your pain isn’t the problem. Your body is an extremely intelligent yet complex network of systems working together to allow us to live as we do.
Lightbulb Moment
Turn a lamp on and no light – first thought would be the light bulb has blown, change that but still nothing.
The issue isn’t always where we see the problem.
A problem in the wiring/fuse/mains electrical could all be at fault just like anyone with sciatica will know the pain is felt down the back/side of the leg but the issue often arises from compression of the spinal cord in our lower back.
What Should I Be Doing?
Prevention is always better than a cure so make sure you are training regularly on and off your horse and incorporating a regular mobility routine to help keep your joints supple, strong and mobile!
Having your posture and movement assessed as well as videoing yourself riding or having someone qualified on the ground can help identify weak/problem areas early before they become bigger issues later on.
My clients have hugely benefitted from this and have corrected/managed a lot of postural issues through a few daily exercises to not only assist their riding but their health, posture and wellbeing too – no one wants time out for an annoying injury that could easily be prevented!
If you are suffering from pain don’t ignore it/cover it up with pain killers – see a health specialist and ask around for recommendations and find one that will work with you to get you back on top of your game.
Conclusion
So the takeaway here is look at the body as a whole whilst some injuries are easy to pinpoint and treat if you keep having recurring issues/needing regular treatment for the same issue – maybe it’s time to look elsewhere at what could be causing the pain/issue.
If you wanted to know more about developing your own mobility/preventive exercise routine drop me an email at sinead@centrelineperformance.com.
Hope you all have a fab rest of your week and good luck to all those out competing this week!
Much love,
Sinead x